Jeb Bush Holds his own at CPAC….

Jeb Bush stood his ground in front of an occasionally hostile crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday, giving a strong defense of his conservative record that seemed to slowly disarm his opponents in the crowd.

The former Florida governor’s appearance had all of the feeling of the main event of the three-day conservative confab.

The crowd piled in early to pack the standing-room-only middle section of the Potomac Ballroom at the Gaylord National Convention Center just across the border from the nation’s capital. Conference-goers stood along the walls, blocking entrances into the huge conference room.

Rather than a speech, Bush opted for a question-and-answer session with Fox News host and conservative firebrand Sean Hannity, who challenged Bush early on immigration and Common Core, his two biggest liabilities among conservatives.

“Every article I’ve ever read talks about you and the divide between the conservative movement on two issues; it has to do with immigration and Common Core,” Hannity said.